Thursday, June 19, 2008

This is a pencil sketch of a Tiger that I did for my son. I then got the idea of putting it as a byte. So, here is some information that I gathered on the status of the Indian Tiger.

TIGERS, as we all know, are wild animals that live in forests. All wild tigers live in Asia. Some of them live in the snowy forests of Siberia while others live in the humid jungles of Sumatra, and in the dry grasslands of India.

The Tiger has been given the status of the National Animal of India for a very good reason. The Tiger plays a very essential role in maintaining and conserving the Indian wildlife, which includes the other species and the forests. Tigers occupy the highest position of the food chain and a healthy tiger population is an indicator of the well being of the whole forest.

The predators, like the tiger by its virtue of being a carnivore, have a regulatory influence on the population sizes of herbivores, which is kept in check. Therefore, their populations can only fluctuate between certain limits because of this "feedback mechanism".

The forest vegetation will thrive if the number of herbivores is under control, provided of course the humans do not exploit it. This healthy vegetation will in turn protect the rainwater and safeguard the water table. All life forms, including humans depend upon these water catchments for their survival. Thus we can say that the Tiger is the guardian of many other creatures.

But for centuries now, humans have been poaching and hunting this magnificent creature, the Tiger, for sport, personal glory, for its skin and claws, thus threatening its very existence. The Indian government came to the rescue by building sanctuaries and wildlife reserves especially for the tiger, spread across many parts of the country, and called it “Project Tiger”.

Project Tiger Reserves in India:

The Project Tiger was launched in India in 1972 as conservation program for saving the Indian Tiger Population. Some of the best examples of this program’s success can be seen in the national parks of the Sundarbans and Rajasthan. But more wildlife conservation laws and awareness among people is still required to make Indian sanctuaries a safe haven for tigers.· Bandhavgarh National Park· Corbett National Park, U.P.· Kanha National Park· Ranthambore National Park· Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary· Sundarbans National Park· Bandipur & Nagarhole National Parks, Karnataka· Dudhwa National Park, U.P.· Manas Tiger Reserve, Assam· Nandankanan Zoo, Orissa

With the success of Project Tiger some of the sanctuaries have seen a bright light and Corbett National Park is the biggest example of it, having the highest density of tiger in India.

India Tiger population declines

Sadly, the population of the tiger is still declining steadily; so much so that the animal faces the danger of extinction if nothing concrete is done to save them soon. Here is a look at some of the statistics of the remaining population of the tigers in the world and in India.

[“After an NDTV campaign to save the tiger, the government has stepped in and announced a grant of Rs 50 crore for a Tiger Protection Force.

'The number 1,411 should ring the alarm bells,'' is how Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram voiced his concern over the depleting number of tigers in the country as he announced a special grant to save the animal in the Union Budget 2008-09.”] Quote

Sunday, June 15, 2008

I was feeling miserable. It was my birthday! And my mother was mad at me for something I had done. She gave me a good sound beating of my life. I felt so terrible for having done this "supposedly" horrible thing that made my mother so angry. I still remember that day very vividly in my mind.

I cried, felt miserable and very sad and unhappy, Oh.. simply all the feelings that you can think of. Even mad at my mother for beating me. For not remembering that it was my birthday! I must have been about 8 or 9 years old! You were not supposed to get hit on your birthday, right? I should be feeling "special" that day! But here I was, wishing that I had not existed!

Then came my father. He saw what had happened. He understood. He scolded mother for being so harsh at me. Didn't she remember it was my birthday? He comforted me and told me to get dressed. He then took me out and gave me an ice cream.

It was the most "special" moment of my life. It was the first time that I had got something from my father "exclusively" for myself. No, I did not have to share it with my other sisters. They did not get any ice cream. It was only for ME! I always remember that day with my father, and cherish that moment. Never had any other such moments again.

Recently, my father came to visit us during the winter vacations. We took him out for dinner to our local club at the seaside, which he enjoys very much. It reminds him of his old days. After dinner, my son wanted an ice cream so we headed towards the ice cream counter. There, I asked him if he would have one too. Normally, he never has (at least I have never seen him having one) any sweets as he is diabetic. but, to my surprise, he said yes, and I got him a butterscotch cone. It was a beautiful moment to see him eating that ice cream (like a kid)! It brought back the memory of that one day when he had given me an ice cream!

Friday, June 13, 2008

"Father's Day is a celebration inaugurated in the early twentieth century to complement Mother's Day in celebrating fatherhood and male parenting, and to honor and commemorate fathers and forefathers. Father's Day is celebrated on a variety of dates worldwide and typically involves gift-giving to fathers and family-oriented activities. This year it will be celebrated on June 15th in most countries."

About Fathers Day

"The idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.

Having been raised by her father, William Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

In 1926, a National Father's Day Committee was formed in New York City. Father's Day was recognized by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1956. In 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held on the third Sunday of June. So Father's Day was born in memory and gratitude by a daughter who thought that her father and all good fathers should be honored with a special day just like we honor our mothers on Mother's Day."

As Father's Day approaches, many men are mourning the deaths of their sons and daughters. Here in Jamaica, murders and road fata-lities continue to plunder our male population. Hundreds of children are fatherless, several women being rendered single moms.

We know that Father's Day will be a trying time for those who mourn, and we ask that those of us whose fathers are still alive reach out in love and comfort.

Read all about it here:http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20080612/news/news7.html

I feel like an instruction manual all the time. I know, you are wondering what I mean by that. Read on...

Since the time I got married and had a kid, I feel I have been reduced to becoming an instruction manual. I start the day by giving instructions to the maid, my son, my husband etc, etc. The list is never ending. The instructions may have to be repeated again and again till the task is completed and this cycle is repeated every day.

"Brush your teeth, have a bath. Get ready. Wear the red shirt with the blue pants or the jeans or shorts whatever. Pick up the mail on your way. Post the letter today. Eat your food properly. Don't drop crumbs on the floor."

If I need something, I have to give precise instructions to my son or husband, or the task will never get done. For eg. "Get the tape from the top most drawer that's in the cabinet in the sitting room." This instruction is also usually not enough, for they go to the drawer in question, open it and then will shout right back," I can't see it". Then I have to give more precise instructions like ," look in the second compartment, or right next to the stapler."

I realised one fine day that my whole day seemed to be filled with just these. That's the kind of conversation we have at home. Isn't it a little frustrating? Gosh, I wish I could just sum up all these instructions and take a printout and have a ready manual for reference. Then all I need to do is say "refer to page so and so"..

Wow, I am so excited! I have just recently completed my first milestone, “One Year”, on this wonderful site, Xomba. To some it may not sound like a big deal, but to me it does, simply because the journey has been a great roller coaster ride that one could never forget. So, here I hope to share with you “ How I Spent A Most Memorable Year On Xomba”.

My journey began on 31st May ’07 when I first signed up for Xomba. I have never looked back since that memorable day. The site literally changed my life in a matter of a few months. Before joining this site, I had taken up a course (correspondence) in freelance writing from the famous “Writer’s Bureau London” which I was unable to complete as I found the assignments to be too difficult. It required real professional writing for the print media, which cannot be accomplished by sitting at home. One needs exposure to the outside world and events, interviews with real people who matter etc. However, the plus point of starting the course was that I started writing and I did manage to get two of my assignments into real print: One in a local newspaper and the other a letter to the editor of a Woman’s Magazine “Femina”.

This gave me the knowledge that I could write and make money if only I could find the ideal place to do so. Then after a year or so, a friend introduced me to Xomba. I had just finished with editing and publishing a local naval community magazine called “NWWA Magazine”, which was a very thrilling experience for me as I managed to do the whole thing single handedly. So, here was a site, my friend tells me where I can write to my heart’s content and get published instantly. No fear of being rejected and the biggest plus point of all; I could make money.

Thus my journey into the writing world began with Xomba. I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to see my first post in “print” and “published” online where I knew it to be visible to the whole wide world. The site had the feature of “reads” then, so that we could track how many people read our posts, and it was the most satisfying feeling to watch the numbers increasing. My friend also introduced me to the world of blogging with the Blogger. So, I simultaneously started work on this blog as well, which I am proud to say is doing quite well too.

The first month on Xomba, my earnings were reflected in Google Adsense as 80 cents, the following month it progressed to $42.12 and $166.42 in the third month when I received the first check from Google. It was the most amazing sight to me, to see the money flowing in so steadily. Xomba, in the meantime was going through a constant phase of updates and maintenance of its site. So, the features of the site kept changing throughout as it still is. I feel proud to be a part of its steady growth and development as it picked up a steady stream of users and guests progressively. The contests that were held for user points in between gave me the motivation and inspiration to work hard to win the sum that was offered, $150, and $100 for the first and second positions. I did win these contests three times, getting the above-mentioned sums and $25 for the fourth place. I must say, the staff on this site is very honest about its offers and they promptly paid up the sums to my account in Paypal.

The Google adsense referral program, in the meantime also helped me to make money. I got a total of $510 for simply signing up people with adsense. Out of these $5 was for the first $5 that the person makes and $250 as a bonus for $100 made by the user within 6 months of joining the program. I got two people under me to sign up with Xomba and Googla adsense and Voila …. $250 in no time.!!! Unfortunately, the program has been stopped.

I continued with my postings in Xomba with great earnest and since I had one of the highest numbers of blurbs by then, my adsense earnings began shooting up steadily. Let me point out here that I was also conscious about the quality and content of my posts as well as keeping a lookout for any item that was on demand on the internet that would be promising. So, I have been picking up links and content that should be evergreen and could work longer. After about five months my earnings shot up to $400 in the month of November.

I made another $500 + in the month of February all thanks to the Super bowl. Two of my posts, so far have made it to the front page, namely,

which helped me to win the $30 Amazon Gift Voucher twice. Therefore my total earnings in the past year has exceeded $2500 + mark, which translates to more than 1 lakh in Indian Rupees. I have honestly never made this kind of money in my entire life even with my own profession. I have been putting the money to good use. One, I paid for the fees for a PG Diploma correspondence course in Hospital Administration along with a Certificate course in Quality Management which was a bonus, and Two, I bought a car (that I wrote about) and am paying half the installment through the checks I get from Xomba.

It has indeed been a most memorable year and the most productive one, I should say, here on Xomba. I sincerely thank Xomba and the staff for this wonderful gift of “opportunity”! I hope to continue on this site forever and flourish along with it.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Making a road trip through any city or state is the best way to see the countryside. I have had numerous such occasions to drive through most of the cities in India. Recently, I made a road trip from Chandigarh to Mumbai which was very exciting. It was the first time that I made such a long trip that stretched between so many states.

The drive was an exhilarating experience for me. More so because I got to pass the state of Rajasthan, which has always fascinated me. I had been longing to see this colorful state of our country that is now in the limelight thanks to IPL. The route that I followed was as follows:Chandigarh - Delhi - Jaipur - Udaipur - Ahmadabad - Mumbai

The sights that I got to see on the way were really awesome and something that I would never forget. Here are some pictures that I took on the way to show the beauty of our countryside. The pictures have been taken by my Nokia N95 phone that I bought recently. See how clear the photos are.

1. This was a very beautiful Palace in the Pink City Jaipur, called Amber Fort Palace which is very huge and sprawled across many acres of land.

Hawa Mahal is the main attraction of the Pink City. It is a huge wall made up of these hundreds of small windows with ledges and is just one sided. It was constructed by the king so that the women could stand in these windows and observe any processions that passed through the main road without having to expose themselves, as was the custom in those days.